Chen raises DPP's goal in elections

HOMESTRETCH With the legislative elections only days away, the president said his party will easily achieve its goal of attaining a majority in the legislature

By Jewel Huang / STAFF REPORTER

President Chen Shui-bian, second left, Vice President Annette Lu, and other DPP officials yesterday attend the party's Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei, vowing to win at least 101 legislative seats in next month's elections.

PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

With President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) highly-publicized campaigning over the past two weeks, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday showed its confidence about the legislative elections by announcing it expected to win at least 101 seats in the upcoming vote.

As the legislative election campaign enters the homestretch, Chen not only increased his campaign schedule from 40 to 52 rallies, but also raised the party's election goal. He asked all DPP members to work hard so that the party could obtain the maximum number of legislative seats, according to DPP Deputy Secretary-General Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱). Chung reported Chen's statements after a meeting with ranking DPP officials yesterday to analyze the campaign situation in the 27 constituencies around the nation.

In the meeting, the DPP candidate in Penghu County, Kao Chih-peng (高植澎), promised Chen that he would secure a seat in his constituency, and Chen said that the DPP would raise its election projections to 101 seats based on Kao's word.

Three weeks ago, when Chen announced that the DPP must win 100 seats in the elections, most DPP members thought it was "mission impossible." However, after Chen added his weight to the campaign and helped boost the standing of DPP candidates over the past few weekends, the hopes of surpassing Chen's initial goal look promising according to recent poll figures, Chung said.

"Our latest campaign strategy is that we will tenaciously defend the electoral districts where we stand in an advantageous position, and try to conquer those constituencies in which we are still lagging behind," Chung said.

Chung said that Chen hopes the DPP will grab at least five seats in Taoyuan County, five in Tainan County, six in Kaohsiung City, five in Chunghua County, four in Pingtung County, two in Ilan County, 13 in Taipei County, one in Taitung County and one in Miaoli County.

Chung said that Chen stressed that the three goals of the DPP -- holding a referendum, winning his presidential re-election and dominating the legislature -- were almost complete, and if the pan-green camp does not control the legislature, the president's re-election would be meaningless.

Meanwhile, Chung also confirmed that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen will appear onstage together at a large-scale campaign rally to be held in Kaohisung on Dec. 4. DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) is coordinating with the TSU's campaign chiefs.